Founder of orphanage in Ghana denies wrongdoing Updated Mon. Jul. 20 2009 10:56 AM ET CTV.ca News Staff The founder of a Ghanaian orphanage that had ties to a Canadian adoption agency that went bankrupt last week, is denying allegations of child trafficking. Reports have emerged that the orphanage was recently shut down by Ghanaian authorities. The orphanage is run by Hands of Mercy Christian Outreach International, a non-profit group based in Fort Erie, Ont. Stephen Adongo, Ghana's acting director of social work said there were concerns that children who weren't orphans were being taken away from their parents and placed in the orphanage so they could be adopted internationally. Deborah MacQuarrie, an evangelical Christian minister who runs Hands of Mercy with her husband, Max, says the allegations were false and the orphanage was never shut down. "We have been totally cleared of allegations of child trafficking," MacQuarrie told Canada AM's Seamus O'Regan Monday. "We were investigated as part of a child care reform program going on in Ghana. We were just one of the [orphanages] being investigated. We've been totally cleared of that and we'll be getting that documentation." MacQuarrie insisted that no children were taken away from their parents. She said some children were handed over to the orphanage by their parents or guardians after they signed documents of child relinquishment. She says all the guardians were fully informed in their native language of what their signatures meant. "So all those accusations are not accurate at all," MacQuarrie said. She said while Kids Link, which operated under the name "Imagine," declared bankruptcy on July 13, the children in her orphanages are still being cared for and can still be adopted. "The lawyer we have is willing to speak with all of the parents who are adopting and they can work with him," she said. Dozens of families who had been clients of Imagine had reached the point where they were matched with a child while they awaited the adoptions to be cleared, including some at MacQuarrie's orphanage. Those adoptions are now in limbo while bankruptcy trustees and government officials try to sort out the situation. MacQuarrie offered this advice to parents waiting to bring the children home to Canada. "They need to be told to just hang on. Contact the lawyer, work hard, stick together, pray for your child, talk to your child on the phone, and know that they are okay. We are doing everything we can to protect those children," she said. "We want to see those kids here. My daughter is adopting one of them too. I have a granddaughter waiting over there to come home." Here in Canada, dozens of hopeful adoptive parents held meetings across Ontario Sunday to discuss their next step after being left financially stranded and childless. Ingrid Phaneuf, a 42-year-old Toronto resident, who organized one of the meetings held at a Toronto condo, told Canada AM that they were pleased that Pat Convery, the executive director of the Adoption Council of Ontario, attended their meeting. "It was very helpful. There was much discussion about how we can solve this problem moving forward," Phaneuf said. She wants government officials to help their adoption applications through the system and said ministry officials told them "all the options are on the table." "What we're hoping that means is that the ministry will allow the agency to continue to operate under supervision until all the files are processed." Ellen and Robert Brenneman, a Toronto couple who attended the meeting, said they decided to adopt after trying unsuccessfully for years to have kids. They have already paid Kids Link $15,000. "That's the least of our worries," Ellen Brenneman said about the money. "As long as we have that baby in our arms, that's all we care about."

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Bankrupt Cambridge adpotion agency had ties to suspect African orphanage

By Brian Caldwell

News
Jul 17, 2009

Tell a friend CAMBRIDGE -- An orphanage in Ghana run by an Ontario charity has been shut down over concerns that children were taken from their parents for international adoption.
"Some of the parents were not aware, some of the children were actually not orphans and so on," said Stephen Adongo, acting director of social work in the African country.

"We found out that some of the parents didn't understand why their children were taken away, why the children should be in school. They were not told the facts, so we viewed that seriously."

Located near Accra, Ghana, the orphanage is run by Hands of Mercy Christian Outreach International, a non-profit group based in Fort Erie.

Problems there came to light after the collapse this week of Cambridge-based Kids Link International Adoption Agency, which operated under the name Imagine Adoption.

Imagine was working with the Ghana orphanage to arrange adoptions by Canadian families who had invested $20,000 or more to get children.

Up to 450 families across the country were stunned when Imagine filed for bankruptcy amid concerns senior staff members, including executive director Susan Hayhow, had unusually high expense claims.

At various stages of the lengthy, costly international adoption process -- mostly involving children from Ethiopia -- the families are now in limbo while bankruptcy trustees and government officials try to sort out the situation.

About 30 families had reached the point where they were matched with a child while waiting for adoptions to be legally completed.

Nine of those children were at the Ghana orphanage, one of four run by the husband-and-wife team behind Hands of Mercy.

Those adoptions have been on hold since allegations about the orphanage surfaced three months ago.

Adongo said Ghana was already reviewing orphanages in the country when he was alerted by the Canadian High Commission to concerns about possible child trafficking at the Hands of Mercy facility.

An investigation by Ghana officials didn't turn up evidence of children at the home being bought and sold for a profit or exploitation.

Adongo said they determined, however, that at least three children slated for overseas adoptions had been taken away from their parents.

"The orphanage sent people around to bring (children) to the place," he said in an interview yesterday.

Adongo said all adoptions through the orphanage were suspended and it was recently ordered to shut down by the Ghana government. No improper adoptions went ahead.

"We intervened at that time so they couldn't continue," he said.

Karen Shadd, a spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, said the Canadian government also suspended adoptions from the orphanage after trafficking suspicions were raised.

"It's not something that we see a lot of," she said.

Deborah MacQuarrie, an evangelical Christian minister who runs Hands of Mercy with her husband, Max, from their Fort Erie home, denied doing anything wrong. She said the couple has been working since 1999 to help needy children abroad as a religious mission.

"We're a ministry," MacQuarrie said. "We serve God. We teach the children about God. We take kids who are dying and we bring them in and we love them and we give them everything we can give them."

She blamed improper placements at the Ghana orphanage on a local staff member who got fired for bringing in members of his extended family.

MacQuarrie also denied the home has been shut down, with about 100 children still living there, and said the investigation by Ghana officials cleared it of serious wrongdoing.

She said the group worked with an American agency to arrange about six adoptions -- with eight others underway -- and didn't have any problems.

"God has put it in our hearts to help these children," MacQuarrie said. "If you go onto our (website), you'll see the kids are all happy, healthy and everything is wonderful."

Adongo said the Ghana investigation didn't directly involve Imagine Adoption, which began working with the orphanage last year.

Bankruptcy trustees are still sorting through Imagine's finances and working with governments officials to see if proper adoptions that had reached the match stage can be completed.

Volunteer directors of the non-profit group grew worried about a month ago after noting questionable expenses, including leased luxury vehicles.

Hands of Mercy Christian Outreach to build Orphanage

Source: GNA - Ghana News AgencyRegional News | Sat, 28 May 2005 ArticleHeadlines(0) Comment | Share | Print | E-mail | Save | Alerts If God's compassion or grace doesn't have an end,then,there is no hell. By: Kyei-Afrifa Mannhei

Accra, May 28, GNA - An Orphanage estimated at about 90 million dollars is to be constructed near Madina in Accra by the Hands of Mercy Christian Outreach Ministry.

Mr Paul Anaba, Africa Liaison Chairman of the Board of the Ghana Division of Outreach, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency in Accra, on Saturday.

He said land had been acquired for the project, adding that, the Director of the Outreach, which is an international Ministry based in Canada, the Reverend Deborah Macquarrie, was expected in Ghana by the end of the year to perform the ground breaking ceremony. Mr Anaba who is also Home Administrator said that in a modest way, the Outreach had started a Home at Teshie Tsui-bleoo with nine orphans in rented premises.

'Some of the children were actually not orphans' Bankrupt agency linked to troubled orphanage shut down by Ghana July 17, 2009 Brian Caldwell RECORD STAFF CAMBRIDGE An orphanage in Ghana run by an Ontario charity has been shut down over concerns that children were taken from their parents for international adoption. "Some of the parents were not aware, some of the children were actually not orphans and so on," said Stephen Adongo, acting director of social work in the African country. "We found out that some of the parents didn't understand why their children were taken away, why the children should be in school. They were not told the facts, so we viewed that seriously." Located near Accra, Ghana, the orphanage is run by Hands of Mercy Christian Outreach International, a non-profit group based in Fort Erie. Problems there came to light after the collapse this week of Cambridge-based Kids Link International Adoption Agency, which operated under the name Imagine Adoption. Imagine was working with the Ghana orphanage to arrange adoptions by Canadian families who had invested $20,000 or more to get children. Up to 450 families across the country were stunned when Imagine filed for bankruptcy amid concerns senior staff members, including executive director Susan Hayhow, had unusually high expense claims. At various stages of the lengthy, costly international adoption process -- mostly involving children from Ethiopia -- the families are now in limbo while bankruptcy trustees and government officials try to sort out the situation. About 30 families had reached the point where they were matched with a child while waiting for adoptions to be legally completed. Nine of those children were at the Ghana orphanage, one of four run by the husband-and-wife team behind Hands of Mercy. Those adoptions have been on hold since allegations about the orphanage surfaced three months ago. Adongo said Ghana was already reviewing orphanages in the country when he was alerted by the Canadian High Commission to concerns about possible child trafficking at the Hands of Mercy facility. An investigation by Ghana officials didn't turn up evidence of children at the home being bought and sold for a profit or exploitation. Adongo said they determined, however, that at least three children slated for overseas adoptions had been taken away from their parents. "The orphanage sent people around to bring (children) to the place," he said in an interview yesterday. Adongo said all adoptions through the orphanage were suspended and it was recently ordered to shut down by the Ghana government. No improper adoptions went ahead. "We intervened at that time so they couldn't continue," he said. Karen Shadd, a spokesperson for Citizenship and Immigration Canada, said the Canadian government also suspended adoptions from the orphanage after trafficking suspicions were raised. "It's not something that we see a lot of," she said. Deborah MacQuarrie, an evangelical Christian minister who runs Hands of Mercy with her husband, Max, from their Fort Erie home, denied doing anything wrong. She said the couple has been working since 1999 to help needy children abroad as a religious mission. "We're a ministry," MacQuarrie said. "We serve God. We teach the children about God. We take kids who are dying and we bring them in and we love them and we give them everything we can give them." She blamed improper placements at the Ghana orphanage on a local staff member who got fired for bringing in members of his extended family. MacQuarrie also denied the home has been shut down, with about 100 children still living there, and said the investigation by Ghana officials cleared it of serious wrongdoing. She said the group worked with an American agency to arrange about six adoptions -- with eight others underway -- and didn't have any problems. "God has put it in our hearts to help these children," MacQuarrie said. "If you go onto our (website), you'll see the kids are all happy, healthy and everything is wonderful." Adongo said the Ghana investigation didn't directly involve Imagine Adoption, which began working with the orphanage last year. Bankruptcy trustees are still sorting through Imagine's finances and working with governments officials to see if proper adoptions that had reached the match stage can be completed. Volunteer directors of the non-profit group grew worried about a month ago after noting questionable expenses, including leased luxury vehicles. bcaldwell@therecord.com

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Vorwurf Kinderhandel

Verzweifelter Kampf um Pflegekind Kristin/Nicoletta

Ralph Bauer/UIrich Kraetzer, aktualisiert am 08.04.2011 um 00:10 Uhr

Bild 1 von 3

Uwe und Korinna Biemueller mit ihrem Sohn Nico (l.) und Pflegekind Nicoleta/Kristin – die Kleine soll zurück in ihre fremde Heimat. Foto: dapd

Two charged in adoption agency fraud investigation

CTV News Video

Nadia Matos on the adoption agency charges

Two people are facing numerous fraud charges in connection with an investigation at Cambridge-based Imagine Adoption Inc.

Date: Friday Apr. 8, 2011 11:13 AM ET

Une demande d'adoption en France ne peut s'appuyer sur un acte notarié non légalisé dans le pays d'origine

Par un avis rendu le 4 avril 2011 (n°11-00005P), en conformité avec les conclusions de l'avocat Général, Odile Falletti, la Cour de cassation a estimé qu'était sans effet devant les juridictions françaises, un consentement par acte authentique non légalisé, donné à l'étranger par les parents biologiques en vue de l'adoption plénière de leur enfant en France.

Comme "la question n'est pas nouvelle", la Cour ayant déjà statué sur le sujet par deux arrêts datés du 4 juin 2009 (pourvois n°08-10962 et 08-13541), la Cour de cassation a estimé qu'il n'y avait pas lieu à avis.

Toutefois, comme cette situation n'est pas isolée, la Haute juridiction de l'ordre judiciaire a rappelé que de manière générale, "la formalité de la légalisation des actes de l'état civil établis par une autorité étrangère et destinés à être produits en France demeure, selon la coutume internationale et sauf convention contraire, obligatoire pour y recevoir effet".

En l'espèce, les parents haïtiens d'un jeune garçon né en 2005 avaient accepté que leur enfant soit adopté par un couple français. Par jugement du 20 janvier 2009, le tribunal civil de Port au Prince a homologué le procès-verbal d'adoption de l'enfant par Madame Y. de nationalité française et dit qu'il y a lieu à adoption et autorisé l'adjonction du nom de l'adoptant.

Russian Adoptions Slow but not Stopped a Year after Uproar

Thursday, April 07th, 2011, by Blake Farmer

Vickie and Wayne Tomlinson pose with their new daughter Anna after a celebration lunch in Russia.

It was a year ago this week that a small town nurse in Shelbyville put the international adoption world into an uproar. Fearful of her newly adopted son, she sent the 7-year-old back to Moscow on a one-way trip.

Russian adoptions had already been on a steady decline. Russian officials threatened to suspend placements with U.S. families altogether. But the adoption pipeline was never completely shutoff.

Poinsette: Adopting Third World children is voluntary colonization

Freelance commentary

Bruce Poinsette | Freelance columnist

Published: Monday, January 31, 2011

Updated: Monday, January 31, 2011 01:01